Hasp.



.UNITED srArEs PATENT OFFICE.

PETER FRAN 'TZ, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR FRAN'IZ MAIYUFACTURINQ COMPANY, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, A COBPORATIOII OF ILLINOIS.

HASP.

Specification of Letters Ia'tent.

Application filed January 13,1913. Serial No. 741,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER l RAN'rz, a citizen of the United States of 'America, and resident of Sterling, IVhiteside county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hasps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hasps in general, but more particularly to those which are hinged at one end, and which have the other end thereof provided with a slot for the usual staple. Ordinarily, a hasp of this kind is made from a fiat strip of metal, and is adapted to lie against the building, whereby the disengagement of the hasp and staple is often a matter of some difliculty.

The object of my invention is to provide a hasp of the foregoing general character, having portions by which it can be grasped by the thumb and finger, said portions being of such character that no additional metal is necessary,- that no weakening of the hasp is caused by their provision, and that no increase of cost of manufacture results from their use, whereby eflicient grasping portions are obtained without any objectionable results, as will hereinafter more fully ap- )ear.

1 To the foregoing and other useful ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a frontelevation of a hasp in the position in which it is secured to the building. Fig.

- 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the said hasp with the hinged attaching portion thereof swung around into view, the said attaching portion being seen from the rear. Fig. is a top edge view of the parts shown in Fig.

As tl'iusillustrated, it will be seen that my invention comprises a hasp A having a hinged attaching portion B. the said attaching portion being covered by the hasp when secured in place, as shown in Fig. 1, and as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The body of the hasp' is formed from a straight strip of sheet metal. and is provided with the usual slot a for the, staple. The grasping portions a are provided at the upper and lower edges of the hasp, and are formed from outwardly displaced portions of the sheet metal, whereby each portion has a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, the cavities thus provided in the back of the hasp permitting the thumb and ger to enter sufiiciently to render the removal of the hasp more convenient than heretofore. Each portion a it will be seen, has a curved line a which defines itsouter edge, and which constitutes the dividing line betweenthe displaced metal and the body of the hasp. In this Way, each per tion a has a curved outer edge a and from this edge the metal slopes in all directions toward the flat body portion of the hasp.

These portions are formed by using dies of proper sha e and construction, and by stretching t e metal sufliciently, and the shape of the portions a renders the stretching less liable to break or disruptthe metal. There is, it will be seen, a clear space a between the two portions a and it is this undisturbed portion of the metal which prevents the portions a from shortening the hasp. In other words, and by forming the portions a in the'manner shown and described, the hasp is not shortened, and consequently no additional metal is necessary.

Moreover, and by reason of til {formation of these portions a no weakening of the hasp is produced, asit is not rendered springy or flexible at any point in the length thereof, but is stiff and rigid throughout the entire length, the portions a serving, if anything, to increase the rigidity, rather than to render the hasp flexible.

It will thus be seen that by my invention Patented Aug. 12,1913.

I provide a has'p with thumb and finger portions which render it easy to manipulate, without necessitating the use of any additional metal, without weakening the construction in any way, and without increasing the cost of manufacture.

When viewed'fl'om the front, or from the rear, the portions a form slight depressions- What I claim as my invention isi recesses are accessible at the upper and A hasp comprising a flat strip of metal loweredges of the hasp. 10 having thumb and finger portions formed Signed by me at Sterling, Illinois, this by outwardly displaced sections of metal, 7th day of J an, 1913;

5-, with a flat area of metal between said por- PETER FRANTZ. tions, each section being in the form of .a Witnesses: bulge in the metal, and. said portions form- W. K. PALMER, ing recesses in the hack of the hasp, which J. W. NVENTSEL. 

